Improvement in harvesters



- w. COGSWELL;

Harvester.

No. 96,311. Patented N0v. 2, 1869.

UNITED STATES PA ENT QFEIC'E.

WILLIAM OOGSWELL, OF OTTAWA, ILLINOIS, -ASSIGNOR To HIMSELF AND I WM. H. W. GUSHMAN. I

IMPROVEMENT IN HAR'VESTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 96,31 1, dated November 2, 1869.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM COGSWELL, of Ottawa, in the county of La Salle and State of Illinois, have .invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Reapers and Mowers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are made part of this specification. J

My improvements relate, first, to the manner of shifting the driving-gear,.to produce a fast or slow motion of the sickle; second, to

an improved construction of and mode of forming the device for holding the shifting and some of its adjuncts, illustrating the manner of shifting gear. Figs. 3 and 4. represent, respectively, a front or face view and an edge view,on an enlarged scale, of the combined cap and device for adjusting the shifting-lever. 'Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8 are detached'sec' tional perspective views of various parts, representing details, hereinafter specified.

- A, Fig.- 1, represents a frame of suitable form, dimensions, and material, adapted for.

the reception of the various parts to be supported thereby, and mounted on a pair of wheels, B B, the former of which also constitutes the driving-wheel of the machine, being keyed fast to its shaft or axle G, which extends across the frame for the support of the other ground Wheel, B, which is mounted loosely thereon,.and held in place by the customary washer c and linchpin c, or other suitable means. Said shaft 0 has further secured on it, for the purpose of imparting its motion to the cutting mechanism at different rates. of speed, a gear-wheel, D, constructed with the customary outside and inside gears d d, arranged at such distances apart as to adapt them to be both held out of mesh with the pinion with which they engage, when it is desired to stop the motion of the sickle, as in passing to and from the field. Said pinion is keyed on the end of a shaft, E, mounted in suitable bearings transversely of the frame, and carrying, at a suitable point within the frame, a bevel-gear, e, meshing with a corre-- sponding wheel, f, on the inner end of a lon-' gitudinal shaft, F,'which also carries-at its outer end a crank-wheel, f, the wrist of which is connected,by a pitman, G, to the sickle-bar E in the usual manner. The shaft or axle O is mounted eccentrically in a cylindrical box,I, which extends across the frame, and is journaled in suitable bearings at the sides thereof, and may be recessed or cut away inside of the frame, or between its bearings, as represented atv) t, Figs. 1 and 8, to secure lightness. The bearings of said eccentric box I are covered by caps J K, both of which are made also to serve other useful purposes, or

to possess other functions, hereinafter devided with elongated slots j, for the reception of the bolts j, by'which said separate sections j are attached, to allow of their adjustment, as clearly shown in said figures. It is furtherprovidedin its body, and'in the adjustable sections j j, and concentric with the bearing 'of the eccentric box I, with three holesor sockets, j*j*j*, for the reception of the latch of the shifting-lever in its different positions.

L, Figs. 1 and 8, represents the shifting-1e; ver, which projects rigidly from the eccentric box 1, preferably diagonally opposite the shaft G, and which is of the usual construction, being suitably recessed for the reception of the flan'ge'J, and provided with a spring-catch, l, for engagement with the perforatio nsj*j*j* in said flange, as represented in Fig. 1.

When the lever L is held at i the shaftfG of the driving-wheel is held in the position represented in' black in the diagram, Fig. 2, and the gears d and dof the wheel D both out of mesh with the pinion c. On the lever being changed to j*,-as represented inFig. l

gear in mesh, adapts the movement of the l and by the red line in Fig. 2, the shaftG will be thrown behind the center of its eccentric box I, and the inside gear d brought into mesh with said pinion e, as indicated by the red outline in Fig. 2, a rapid motion being then imparted, by the rotation of said wheel 1), to the sickle, through the described QOnnect-ions.. When held at i as represented by the blue line in Fig. 2, the shaft will be thrown in front of the center of theeccentric box, and the gear d brought'into mesh with the pinion e, as indicated by the blue outline in said figure, the same movement of the ma- .chine then imparting a comparatively slow movement to the sickle.

The adjustability of the sockets j'* and j*{,, in which the shifting-lever isheld, with 'th ver, and, by means of itand theeceentric'box; of the shaft of the driving-wheel, to be varied; as the condition of the machine-may require,l any wear on the hearings or journals beingj thus compensated forby setting the gears d;

' and d more deeplyin mesh with'the-pinion 6.5

The cap K of the eccentric box I is extend-i ed, and made to form a'bracket,'K, which terminates in a segmentalplate, 7c, in thecenteri of which is pivotedthe'lever M, for elevating} the finger-barQ-said plate'being further pro-j vided, concentric withsaid pivot,with a num-.; ber of perforations,.7c*, for the reception of; the spring-catch m of said lever. The lever:

M may be, beyondits pivot, of the same con-Z struction as that employed forshifting the gearing, and before described, or any other;

resented in Fig. 1.

P, Figs. 1 and5, represents the fu ger-bar, which is provided with the usual fingers .p,

and supports or guides p'for the'sickle H,

which is mounted therein, as represented in Fig.1. Said finger-bar is further provided 1 at its hingeend with a shoe, Q, whichis con-' structed with an upturned front end, g, slot-f ted for the reception of the;drawbar, and perfor-ated transversely of said slot with alnumber of perforations, q*, for the receptionof a bolt or pin, to support the finger-bar ina hori-' zontal position when elevated incuttin g grain,

or to elevate the front edge of said finger-bar to any desired extent when cuttingou ground where there are ant-hills orother similar obstructions. Said shoe is further provided with a projection, q, to assist in supporting and guiding the sickle, and with a'perforated lug, q, for the attachment of the draw and push bars, and a stop, q, for engagement with the latter in the elevation of the fingerbar through said connection; I

R and S, Figs. 1, 5, and 6, represent, respectively, the draw and push bars, by which the finger-bar is attached to the frame. The

draw-bar R is hinged on a horizontal pivot, 'r, at the front end of the machine, and passing through the slotted upturned end q of the shoe .Q of said finger-bar, where it is cylindrical, as

shown, to allow the cutter'bar to turn freely thereon, is hinged or swiveled in the axial perforation in the stud q of said shoe. To support the finger-bar-when desired, and at any desired inclination, a bolt or pin is placed through one .or'thc other of the perforations g of said shoe. In cutting grass on smooth ground this bolt or pin is removed, so as to allow the finger-bar to move freely and unconstrained on the surface of the ground. The push-bar S is preferably hinged on the projecting end of the draw-bar, as represented in Figs. 1 and 5 andis attached at its upper end to a studrsha'ftfll, Fig. 7, formed by a continuation of the box of the crank-shaft F, and concentric therewith. Said bar, for attachment tothis stud, isbifurcated, as represented at s, andfthe members of said fork, extending through a bar or cap, s, are secured by :the reception of screw-nuts s. The entire strain on said push-bar is sustained by therigid stud T,and is not impartedin the least degree to the crank shaftmhich would be objectionable.

Making the attachment of the push-bar concentriewith the shaft, by which the motion is imparted to thesickle, I am enabled to keep the sickle in the same relative position to the fingers, whether the finger-bar be resting on the ground orat its highest cut, or in case of either-of the groun'd-wheelsdropping into a hollow or passing over'a'ridge, or both tothe respectivewheels at'the same time. With the push-bar attached at any other point the relative position of the sickle'to the fingers is, by any variation in the height or inclination of thefinger bar, changed to a greater or less extent, and'a full cut of the sickle is prevented.

'U,"Fig. 1, represents a bracket or clevis provided at the front end of the frame A, for the attachment of the draft-pole, the perforation ubeing for the reception of its hinge-bolt, and

the perforations w forthe reception of a supplementary bolt or pin to adjust the inclination of the pole, as required.

AlthoughI have primarily intended my several improvements for employment combinedly to form an improved machine, as described, the severalparts'may be employed separately in connection with different mechanism for the other purposes. The precise-forms named for many of the parts "may-also obviouslybe varied without departing from my invention.

Having thus described my invention, the following is what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In combination with the shaft 0 and driving-gearing d d e, the boxI, eccentric to the said shaft 0, and adapted for independent motion or adjustment thereon, substantially as and for the purposes explained.

2. The flange J, formed on the cap J of the bearing of the eccentric-box I, and "provided with the holes or sockets j* j* j*, for the entiaily as described, for the purposes set forth.

4. The combination, with the shoe Q, of the upturned front end a, having a vertical slot for the reception of the drag-bar, and transverse perforations q* for the reception of an adjusting-pin, .as set forth.

WILLIAM OOGSWELL.

Witnesses: i

N. O. WALKER, CHARLES Snow. 

